RV FEATURE
SAVING 100L
If reducing emissions and being an all-round
good environmental citizen is important to
you, opting for a smaller, lighter van is a clear
winner. Over 1000km, you’d potentially save
100L or more – take that, Big Oil.
On the dollars front, based on the $1.46 per-
litre price from the previous test, the camper
cost $4.10 less per 100km of towing than
the pop-top and $7.20 less than the full-
height caravan.
Extrapolated over 1000km, that’s a saving
of $41 compared to the pop-top and $72
compared to the full-height van though,
as mentioned in the article on page 16,
headwinds, tyre pressures, payload, etc., will
affect the numbers, and your rig will obviously
yield different figures to my rig.
SUMMING UP
Ultimately, it’s clear that reducing weight
and the height of the towed vehicle saves
fuel and dollars. The fuel saving can be
quite significant, which is environmentally
positive; however, even with the sometimes-
outrageous price of fuel, the real-world
financial savings would only be meaningful
over the long term, after thousands of
kilometres have rolled beneath the van’s tyres.
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